When night fell, Pan Da and the others began to set up camp to rest.
The weather was clear and there was no snow in the sky. The bright moon could be seen. Pan Da, who had entered the Forest of Silence, had a serious expression on his face as he continuously threw branches into the bonfire in front of him. Although the dancing flames warmed his body, the atmosphere in the group was much colder than when they first set off.
This was naturally because of the 'miracle' that the moon had displayed a few days ago.
There were four Arcanists, eight Arcane Warriors, and fifteen members of the Holy Assembly who were quite skilled. This small mercenary group could be said to have everything: melee, ranged, and magicians. But the ridiculous thing was … they suddenly realized that they were no longer Arcanists.
"The Holy Lord wants us to forget about our past. So, Denzel, the next time you light a bonfire, don't use arcane spells."
Pan Da's voice sounded tired. The Arcanist who was busy preparing dinner nodded. "Yes … My Lord."
After saying that, he hesitated. "But … then we can only use the fire sickle to slowly light a fire. That will be more troublesome …"
"So be it. It's better than losing our lives."
After saying that, Pan Da turned to look at his two pale Arcanist companions. "Are you feeling better?"
However, they shook their heads and turned to look at the Arcanist who was lying beside the bonfire.
"My Lord, what about Corey?"
One of them struggled to support his body and also picked up some firewood to throw into the bonfire. However, after saying that, he covered his mouth and coughed violently. When he removed his hand, the bright red blood on his palm was shocking.
This was not caused by the attack of the magical beasts, but the impact of the 'miracle' on the Arcanists' cognition. Like Blake, when they found out that the 'miracle' was real, they began to doubt and waver in the arcane spells they had been studying for a long time. The change in the foundation of their power had even caused damage to their bodies.
Although their bodies had recovered a little, they were dispirited and looked as if they had been seriously ill. Their combat strength had obviously been reduced by half. This made Pan Da, who was also not in a good state, anxious. This was because Holy Lord Blake had just sent someone to catch up with his team yesterday and gave them a series of instructions. This meant that he could not even give up on the mission now. He could only continue according to the method that Holy Lord Blake had said and find the ruins.
"Remember the words that the Lord Saint specifically told us. We have to give up the past from the bottom of our hearts and embrace everything before us. Only then will we be able to obtain salvation from the calamity."
As Pan Da spoke, he felt awkward. Arcanists hated charlatans the most, but now, he had become the one they hated the most … He glanced at the people in front of him, including the Arcana Warriors who were cooking. Everyone had helpless and even aggrieved expressions on their faces.
They were only a little more than a day away from their destination. According to Ludi's intelligence, they would not only have to be wary of magical beasts in another thirty kilometers, but they would also have to be wary of powerful magic casters who could come and go without a trace.
In order to deal with possible enemies, Pan Da and the others had made ample preparations. They had brought all kinds of scrolls, and at the same time, there were tools, potions, and various consumables that were specially used for magical battles. At the same time, under their seemingly ragged linen coats, they were all fine robes and armor that were inlaid with crystals. This small team could be said to be armed to the teeth, but on the surface, they deliberately created the illusion of a "third-rate mercenary group".
It was also thanks to this effort, coupled with the necklaces that were personally made by Holy Lord Blake, that Pan Da and the others, who were constantly praying and chanting along the way, did not attract the attention of the Intelligence Bureau. In this regard, Blake had indeed made a clever move.
However, although Pan Da and the others had gotten past the surveillance of the Intelligence Bureau, they could not escape the gaze of the gods. After dinner, the "symptoms" of one of the arcanists named Corey became more and more serious. He vomited all the meat soup that he had eaten for dinner, and his consciousness became hazy …
Pan Da held the arcanist who had been joking with them a few days ago in his arms, gritted his teeth, and said in a low voice, "Corey! Don't be stubborn, you have to believe in her existence! Don't doubt and resist anymore, if you continue like this, you will die … "
"I … I can't understand …"
"Even if you can't understand, you have to understand. What you see is true, and we have all seen it. Why do you still tell yourself that it is fake?"
Pan Da tried his best to persuade him to believe in the existence of the Moon God, but how could the concept that the "Holy Assembly" had instilled in him for so many years be changed so easily? In comparison, Blake and Pan Da were more "adaptable", and for the sake of survival and goals, they could give up anything. However, most of the arcanists who had studied arcana since they were young, and considered themselves to be the "purest descendants of the High Elves", could not allow themselves to become a fraud.
This was equivalent to denying their entire life's beliefs.
Arcanist Corey kept shaking his head, his face becoming paler and paler, and his breath weaker and weaker. No matter how much Pan Da tried to persuade him, he was ultimately unable to change his "atheistic" point of view. Finally, at midnight, Corey glared angrily, and suddenly shouted, "All gods are lies!"
After that, his body trembled, and his whole body slumped down, and there was no more sound.
Pan Da clenched his fists tightly, watching the scene unfold in front of him, but there was nothing he could do. After two seconds, he fiercely smashed his magic staff on the ground, and because of the sudden feeling of helplessness, he covered his face and cried bitterly.
The bright moon above his head was still emitting a gentle light, but Pan Da felt that it was dazzling.
He understood … that these people were all "followers of the Moon God". They recited prayers, presided over sacrifices, and held ceremonies. Fundamentally speaking, they were already considered to be standard "clergymen". Corey's death had a serious conflict with the power given to him by the gods, and his thoughts. His brain was unable to accept it, and the result was that his body was unable to withstand the conflict of power, which led to his death …
They had come out to carry out a mission, and not only had they not met a single enemy, but their comrade had died because of such a thing. The morale of the entire team had fallen to the bottom.
Pan Da cried bitterly in the snow, but when he tried to wipe away his tears, he suddenly stood up, and with a "crack", he stepped on his most beloved magic staff and broke it.
Everyone in the camp stood up — they had been together for a long time, and they all knew how much Pan Da cherished that magic staff. But seeing this scene, they all realized the seriousness of the problem.
"In the name of the captain, I order you all to throw away all things related to arcanists, and destroy them."
Pan Da lowered his head with a pained expression, "And then … forget them."
No one objected, and the arcanists and arcane warriors began to take out their magic tools one by one. Many people's eyes were red as they placed these tools at their feet, and clenched their teeth as they destroyed them into pieces — although they were just tools, they also represented their life's beliefs.
The feeling of having one's life's beliefs trampled under one's feet was not a good one for anyone.
Some people could not help but cry out, but Pan Da rushed forward and slapped them, as if he had lost control and roared, "What are you crying for! That is already the past! We are now the most devout followers of the Moon God! "
He shouted until his voice was hoarse, but there were also two lines of tears on his face. His companion, whose face was red from the slap, bit his lip, but in the end did not refute at all, and tore his own magic robe into pieces.
The light of the bonfire rose higher and higher, this was because they had thrown in all the things that could be burned. Pan Da took a deep breath, trying to make his voice calm, "We have already bid farewell to the past … Now, pray with me to the great Moon God, Sterian …"
He turned around and knelt down to the moon, loudly chanting a prayer. The people in the campsite followed suit, no matter what their previous attitude towards the Moon God was, at this moment, their posture was uniform.
And just as the prayer was about to end, a sudden surge of power from within his body caused Pan Da's eyes to widen in surprise.
He turned his head to look at his companions, and everyone felt the mysterious power that was different from arcane magic. Looking down, the moon pendants hanging in front of their chests were emitting a bright luster.
The fatigue in his body was dispelled, and the abundant energy made Pan Da completely forget about the cold around him. He raised his hand, pressed it on the bare trunk of a tree beside him, and then slowly closed his eyes — in an instant, the withered tree's branches and leaves flourished, and flowers bloomed. Then, ripe fruits grew from small to large, and when they were ripe, they fell to the ground with a crackling sound.
"From now on … there will be no more 'arcanists'."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
